Employee Happiness and Increased Productivity Rates
It may seem like overkill to worry about the happiness of the people who work for your organization since they already receive compensation and benefits. Not only is concern for their emotional well-being morally right, but a number of studies show a correlation between employee happiness and productivity rates.
Obviously, no employer can guarantee personal happiness for everyone in the workplace, but cultivating a positive, supportive and enjoyable environment can go a long way in creating employee satisfaction and escalating production. The following key areas can help your business create an atmosphere that provides a satisfying and pleasant place of employment.
Sense of Worth
When employees feel they are making a worthwhile contribution to their organization and to others with their work, the satisfaction they experience often helps motivate them to use their skills to do the best possible job. To support employee happiness, the company must communicate its mission and vision to all staff and tie the products or services to social improvement. For example, if a business manufactures back braces, workers need to keep in mind how these braces help alleviate pain and enable people to live a productive life.
Communication and Feedback
Managers and supervisors also need to help employees connect what they do every day to company goals. In the case of assembly workers, how quickly and accurately they put together the product affects the customer as well as the bottom line. The same is true when entering orders in customer service or running reports in accounting. Give frequent feedback, offering praise for accomplishments and positive, constructive criticism when appropriate.
Fair Play
Nothing impedes employee happiness like the perception of favoritism among workers, especially when it comes to work rules and discipline. Make expectations clear for everyone, keep rules to a minimum and treat every employee the same when it comes to corrective actions. Provide all your staff with a safe environment to ask questions, voice concerns and make suggestions.
Perks and Rewards
It’s often little things that make people feel included and create a fun, positive work environment. Incentives for reaching goals, contests to keep things interesting and holiday or even random treats do not have to cost a lot to seem valuable to your workers. Endless possibilities might include a designated parking spot close to the entrance, a drawing for movie tickets, an extended lunch hour, or perhaps a hamburger cookout or pizza party with vegetarian options. Larger organizations can break down contests and rewards by department. Big or small, these bonuses can give everyone a lift.
If you improve these areas of interaction, you can soon have an environment that promotes employee happiness and an increasing productivity rate. Implement an idea or two today and watch for the smiles.
